205 sportcraft offshore 1987

brianboat

Cadet
Joined
Jan 14, 2006
Messages
6
I need some info on this boat. I heard it is good in the rough water and heavy. any info is greatly appreciated brianboat
 

agitator

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Sep 29, 2004
Messages
194
Re: 205 sportcraft offshore 1987

I have the same boat I think in an '84. It is heavy and takes rough water well. Well layed out for fishing with high sides. About as good low cost boat as is available. Was designed and built by people that knew boats but fittings etc were not premium quality. A good candidate for the do-it-your-selfer to upgrade. It has real potential. Hope this helps.
 

brianboat

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Joined
Jan 14, 2006
Messages
6
Re: 205 sportcraft offshore 1987

Thanks for the info. I am replacing some fittings already. i just picked up a garmin 182c gps for it. any more info send my way tanks brian
 

phatmanmike

Captain
Joined
Oct 24, 2003
Messages
3,869
Re: 205 sportcraft offshore 1987

i have the 1984 model.<br /><br />very heavilly built, glass is very thick all the way araound, that is why they weigh soo friggen much.<br /><br />the company went down the tubes in 2003, they were made in perry florida.<br /><br />they were famous for not sealing the edges of their wood and allowing water to soak in, such as that around an outdrive or omc stern mounted " sea drive " unit, wich is where mine failed, and it is now being rebuilt!
 

brianboat

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Jan 14, 2006
Messages
6
Re: 205 sportcraft offshore 1987

Thanks.. What about the foam in the hull? I heard it can become waterlogged and wont dry out I have a later model 1987 outboard. something about foam or styrofoam? tanks Brian
 

phatmanmike

Captain
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Oct 24, 2003
Messages
3,869
Re: 205 sportcraft offshore 1987

all boats have foam. if foam in ANY boat gets wet it wont dry out. this is part of powerboating, and has nothing to do with sportcraft .
 

dpdiver

Cadet
Joined
Feb 24, 2006
Messages
9
Re: 205 sportcraft offshore 1987

I have A 1985 205 offshore with a 140 seadrive.spent a year of weekends getting boat together.humminbird matrix 37 fishfinder/gps,icom radio,flush mount rod holders,rail rod holders,transom mount bait tank, teak dive platform/ladder,sampson post,new bimini,all new exterior teak plywood, ect,ect.Good boat,havent used it much offshore,seems to pound alot,but is strong boat.140 evinrude is A bit underpowered for this boat.havent had any problms with the seadrive system yet ,but going to put on larger engine(150-175) and new aluminium bracket.boat has two coolers built in ,but arent good for conversion to baitwells.so I installed one on the outboard side of the transom,13 gallons.two problems ive had is when I went to drill holes to mount the fishfinder transponder to the lower exterior of the transom alot of water came out of the holes.Not A good feeling! Also I cant figure out what happens to the water that goes into the drains in the cabin.I put water in and nothing comes out of the bilge.have already replaced hardware for drains in coolers.Also installed 1" stainless rails to top exterior of windshield to mount gps/vhf antennas,and spotlighs.Overall an excellent sturdy boat for the 3200 dollars I spent to purchase w/o trailer.Invested another 2000 to get up to par.reply with any questions about this boat,or if you have repowered with a bracket
 

brianboat

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Joined
Jan 14, 2006
Messages
6
Re: 205 sportcraft offshore 1987

I have a 150 merc outboard on my 1987 205offshore. I bought it in the fall and have not even taken it out yet. looking forward to it though. It seems a heavy boat which is what I wanted. I will be off the capecod shores primarily. It can get rough, but I enjoy big water. I also have ??? on the drainage, I tried the same cabin experiment, same results. If I find any answ, I will respond Thanks Brian
 

brianboat

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Jan 14, 2006
Messages
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Re: 205 sportcraft offshore 1987

I am looking for a manual for a 1987 205 offshore. Anyone out there have one? justa shot in the dark? Brian
 

dpdiver

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Joined
Feb 24, 2006
Messages
9
Re: 205 sportcraft offshore 1987

I have manual for my boat,but dosent have any good info in it. Foam in my boat is sealed cell and dosent retain any water.water will be trapped under the access plates behind the coolers if your cooler drains leak.had to repair cooler drain with sprinkler system parts because the drain is a non standard size.be sure these drains dont leak because on my boat the bow and side walkways both mostly drain directly into the coolers.keep your ice in the bag!the cabin drain thing could be that they drain onto the hull and a stringer is in the way so they drill a hole or some kind of pass thru and it gets clogged. or the water has to fill up an area before it spills over the stringer.either way I dont want to put alot of water into the bow of my boat to find out unless i have to.I wipe down the cabin with a damp towel.I may be replacing the fuel in the near future and Ill find out maby.not sure I need to replace fuel tank.have pics of boat if give e-mail..............how much water have you put into the cabin?
 

dpdiver

Cadet
Joined
Feb 24, 2006
Messages
9
Re: 205 sportcraft offshore 1987

Is your 150 on a bracket or sea drive?let me know how boat performs with 150! do u have speedometer? what pitch prop?
 

brianboat

Cadet
Joined
Jan 14, 2006
Messages
6
Re: 205 sportcraft offshore 1987

I have no idea what the pitch is on my prop. I will find out. as far as the motor, it is on the the transom. I dont know what a seadrive is?<br /> Im a neophite on this boat.heads up<br /> thanks brian
 

bowhuntrrl

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Mar 26, 2003
Messages
320
Re: 205 sportcraft offshore 1987

I had a 205 FF. The water from the cabin drains down into the bilge. Apparently you have a blockage somewhere that is holding the water. I also had the same experience with installing a transducer and through hull fittings, water came out !!! I sold the boat. They are a nice riding heavy boat. Mine had a 190 hp 3.7 I/O on it, it did almost 40 mph. Too many maintenance problems and very heavy to trailer 120 miles to the coast. I recently bought a 16' SportCraft Fisherman CC with an 85 hp Suzuki on it. Much easier to trailer !!!
 

gannapaw

Recruit
Joined
Jul 14, 2009
Messages
2
Re: 205 sportcraft offshore 1987

Brian,
I owned this very boat for 20 years and the only reason I sold it was because the motor died. I liked the boat so well that I just purchased another one just like it with a functioning motor. Several things make this boat worth it's weight: 1. It is a very, very solid boat that will take rought seas well. You will get tossed around a bit but all in all, it holds its' own. 2. It is very fishable even though the fish wells are not that well designed. 3. The fiberglass is of very good quality. 4. It is easily outfitted with additional rod holders and other additions. 5. You probably need to make sure the 150 is propped out correctly. Smart tabs or a doel-fin/ stingray hydrofoil will make all the difference in the world when it comes to planning out and maintaining a plane at lower rpms.
I recommend that you re-wire your electronics by just adding a new fuse block panel.. the original wiring for such is just not well set up. In really rough seas, a second bilge pump will come in real handy.
I hope this info helps out
Steve
 

gannapaw

Recruit
Joined
Jul 14, 2009
Messages
2
Re: 205 sportcraft offshore 1987

Brian,
I forgot to mention... the manual is worthless, threw mine out long, long time ago.
Steve
 

mkwns

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Joined
Jan 23, 2010
Messages
1
Re: 205 sportcraft offshore 1987

I have a 87 242 OFFSHORE, My tanks drain to 3 way fitting in the bilge. It is next to the sea water pickup through hull. The 3 way is a though hull and has a shut off valve on it. Not sure if yours is the same.


I have a 150 merc outboard on my 1987 205offshore. I bought it in the fall and have not even taken it out yet. looking forward to it though. It seems a heavy boat which is what I wanted. I will be off the capecod shores primarily. It can get rough, but I enjoy big water. I also have ??? on the drainage, I tried the same cabin experiment, same results. If I find any answ, I will respond Thanks Brian
 

kaoticlife

Recruit
Joined
May 1, 2011
Messages
3
Re: 205 sportcraft offshore 1987

I need some info on this boat. I heard it is good in the rough water and heavy. any info is greatly appreciated brianboat

I just purchased a 1987 205 off shore that has been switched from i/o to an armstrong bracket and johnson 150 outboard.....is a 150 good enough to push the boat? doing bottom paint and batteries this week.....
 

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